For those of you who have heard your close ones practicing “Keto Diet”, you may at first wonder what the difference is with any other diet. This article is to help ketogenic diet beginners understand what it is, its brief history and discovery, and even potentially help you get started.
What is Ketogenic Diet?
In 1924, doctors began using a ketogenic diet to control seizures among patients with epilepsy. Currently, other conditions are also being studied to see if the ketogenic diet might be beneficial. These conditions include metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, acne, cancer, polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
With a pre-planned ratio of high in fats, medium in protein and low in carbohydrates, the ketogenic diet forces the body to burn its existing fats rather than carbohydrates for energy.
“When your body is relying on fat, there are a lot of ketone bodies—that’s the basic fuel source in the bloodstream—and the brain uses those very efficiently,” says Paul Salter, R.D., M.S., founder of Fit in Your Dress.
Most if not all ketogenic diets are high in fat, adequate in protein and low in carbohydrates. This combination changes the way our energy is being used up in our body, as it converts fat into fatty acids and ketones in the liver. For beginners, ketones are chemicals made in your liver. You produce them when you don’t have enough insulin in your body to turn sugar (or glucose) into energy. You need another source, so your body uses fat instead.
There are five different variations of the ketogenic diet all containing low carbohydrates, each with a different ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Ketosis: A normal metabolic process/state whereby the body burns stored fats as it does not have enough glucose for energy; this results in the build-up of ketones, as mentioned earlier. Achieving a state of ketosis can have many benefits from treating chronic illnesses to optimizing performance. While the results have been well received, the mechanism of how and why it works is not entirely known. The diet enhances the ability of mitochondria, the power plants of our cells, to deliver our bodies’ energy needs in a manner that reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. Through optimizing the way our body uses energy, we fortify our bodies’ ability to combat several diseases and even stress due to our modern lifestyle.
Today, keto is the most popular way for many people to lose weight as it has shown significant results.
For how long do we have to be on a ketogenic diet before it takes effect?
Ketosis is not exactly an easy state to achieve. One has to be committed for it to work. According to Salter, following the ketogenic diet’s exact guideline is imminent. If you are a complete beginner, following a guideline like https://powerdietketo.com/ will help you achieve your target with ease, as long as you are committed and determined!
